Ca Ira in tow; and the Sans-Culottes, 120, and the Jean Barras, 74, kept about gunshot distance on her weather bow. The Agamemnon stood towards her, having no ship of the line to support her within several miles. As she drew near, the Ca Ira fired her stern guns to truly, that not a shot missed some part of the ship, and latterly, the masts were struck by every shot. It had been Nelson's intention not to fire before he touched her stern; but seeing how impossible it was that he should be supported, and how certainly the Agamemnon must be severely cut up, if her masts were disabled, he altered his plan according to the occasion. As soon, therefore, as he was within a hundred yards of her stern, he ordered the helm to be put a-starboard, and the driver and after-sails to be brailed up and shivered, and, as the ship fell off, gave the enemy her whole broadside. They instantly braced up the after-yards, put the helm a-port, and stood after her again. This manœuvre he practised for two hours and a quarter, never allowing the Ca Ira to

get a single gun from either side to bear on him; and when the French fired their afterguns now, it was no longer with coolness and precision, for every shot went far a-head. By this time her sails were hanging in tatters, her mizen-top-mast, mizen-top-sail, and cross-jack-yards, shot away. But the frigate which had her in tow hove in stays, and got her round. Both these French ships now brought their guns to bear, and opened their fire. The Agamemnon passed them within half pistol-shot; almost every shot passed over her, for the French had elevated their guns for the rigging, and for distant firing, and did not think of altering the elevation. As soon as the Agamemnon's after guns ceased to bear, she hove in stays, keeping a constant fire as she came round; and being worked, said Nelson, with as much exactness as if she had been turning into Spithead. On getting

round, he saw that the Sans-Cullottes, which had wore, with many of the enemy's ships, was under his lee bow, and standing to leeward. The admiral, at the same time,

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made the signal for the van ships to join him. Upon this Nelson bore away, and prepared to set all sail; and the enemy, having saved their ship, hauled close to the wind, and opened upon him a distant and ineffectual fire. Only seven of the Agamemnon's men were hurt-a thing which Nelson himself remarked as wonderful: her sails and rigging were very much cut, and she had many shots in her hull, and some between wind and water. The Ca Ira lost 110 men that day, and was so cut up, that she could not get a top-mast aloft during the night.

At day-light, on the following morning, the English ships were taken aback with a fine breeze at N. W. while the enemy's fleet kept the southerly wind. The body of their fleet was about five miles distant; the Ca Ira, and the Censeur, 74, which had her in tow, about three and a half. All sail was made to cut these ships off: and as the French attempted to save them, a partial action was brought on. The Agamemnon was again engaged with her yesterday's an

tagonist; but she had to fight on both sides the ship at the same time. The Ca Ira and The Censeur fought most gallantly: the first lost nearly 300 men, in addition to her former loss; the last, 350. Both at last struck : and Lieutenant Andrews, of the Agamemnon, brother to the lady to whom Nelson had become attached in France, and, in Nelson's own words, "as gallant an officer as "ever stepped a quarter-deck," hoisted English colours on board them both. The rest of the enemy's ships behaved very ill. As soon as these vessels had struck, Nelson went to Admiral Hotham, and proposed that the two prizes should be left with the Illustrious and Courageux, which had been crippled in the action, and with four frigates, and that the rest of the fleet should pursue the enemy, and follow up the advantage to the utmost. But his reply was"We must be contented: we have done "very well."" Now," said Nelson, "had we taken ten sail, and allowed the "eleventh to escape, when it had been "possible to have got at her, I could never

❝have called it well done. Goodall backed 66 me I got him to write to the admiral; "but it would not do. We should have "had such a day as, I believe, the annals "of England never produced." In this letter, the character of Nelson fully manifests itself."I wish," said he, "to be "an admiral, and in the command of the "English fleet; I should very soon either "do much, or be ruined: my disposition "cannot bear tame and slow measures. "Sure I am, had I commanded on the "14th, that either the whole French fleet "would have graced my triumph, or I ❝should have been in a confounded scrape." What the event would have been, he knew from his prophetic feelings, and his own consciousness of power: and we also know it now, for Aboukir and Trafalgar have told it us.

The Ca Ira and Censeur probably defended themselves with more obstinacy in this action, from a persuasion that, if they struck, no quarter would be given; because they had fired red hot shot, and had also a